Environmental crime in the United Kingdom

Abstract:

In the United Kingdom, degrading the environment has traditionally been regarded as a form of criminal activity. Although regulatory bodies usually seek voluntary compliance with the law, they rely ultimately on the threat of prosecution. Environmental offences may have some unique features - but they are still seen as crimes. In many European countries, civil and administrative sanctions are widely used by environmental agencies. This is not the case in the United Kingdom. There is growing support for the increased use of non-criminal sanctions. This article examines these issues. It concludes that environmental crime is often fundamentally criminal in the traditional sense.